With another January almost behind us (and a few new grays to show for it!), I thought a little levity would be nice this week.
After all, we all got into this industry for our love of fitness and health and our desire to spend each day doing what we love.
If any of these sound like you, I have news for you, you’re one of us—a fitness industry lifer!
You anticipate January with (almost) equal parts dread and joy.
January means a wave of resolutioners in the gym, but it also means even longer hours and a crowded fitness floor. Great sales numbers but a crazy amount of work make January a bit of blur!
Your friends and family still don’t understand exactly what you do and simply say “he/she works at a gym”.
Getting someone to understand that there is more to this industry than being a personal trainer is almost impossible. Try explaining what fitness operations are to someone outside of the industry.
*My grandma has been telling people I’m the president of Gold’s Gym for years. I’ve never even stepped foot in a Gold’s Gym corporate!
But you’d never be insulted to be referred to as a trainer because you’ve done your time in the trenches.
You know that trainers, sales people, front desk staff, etc. are what can make a member’s experience wonderful (or not so much). You know this because you paid your dues on the fitness floor and remember your time fondly.
You own more sneakers than dress shoes and more workout gear than business attire.
Yeah, you can get spiffed up with the best of em, but you’d rather spend your days in something from Dick’s than Macys.
A new gym opens up in your neighborhood and you have to fight the urge to “shop” it.
Not only do you want to check out the new digs, but you’re curious about their approach to the tour and sale. However, you know if you walk in you’ll either leave with another membership or spend two hours inside offering advice or making a new fitness industry friend.
You’ve been around so long that you remember things like life-time memberships (yikes!), three year paid-in-fulls (eek!) and when most gyms didn’t have more than one elliptical.
One great thing about working in a “young” industry is that you’re always on the frontier of the new-now-next AND have been around to live history in the making.
The idea of people hating the gym seems foreign to you.
Even though you’ve spent your career motivating the masses to work out and be healthy, you still can’t understand how someone could loath a place you love.
You love talking shop.
You know there is more to this business than opening a gym and watching members flood in and you love discussing numbers and strategy with your fellow fitness professionals. Spreadsheets are fascinating when they translate to improvement and growth! And the thought of bringing other professionals along in their careers in exciting!
It’s hard to leave your work-self at work.
Even though you have a membership (or two) to a non-work affiliated facility, you still feel the need to work during your workout (reracking, provide form tips, picking up trash, notifying the front desk of broken equipment, etc). Because…
A love for this industry is something you simply can’t turn off!
Even though the hours can be rough and task-list never ending, you can’t imagine a life not rooted in fitness!